


Don't Leave Me

by NotJasonTodd



Category: Young Justice - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17330156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotJasonTodd/pseuds/NotJasonTodd
Summary: I grimaced and curled in, holding my stomach. I could feel the hole inside me, pulsing blood around my arm. I couldn't believe this had happened. It was supposed to have been a routine surveillance mission. How Jason Todd died and was resurrected in the Young Justice Universe. If you want to cry, read this. COMPLETE!





	1. Chapter 1

"Jason...Jason…listen...it'll be...okay...okay?" I called down to him. His eyes could barely focus on my face, they seemed to glaze over it. I grimaced. Everything hurt. It all hurt so bad, but I had to be strong for Jason.

"I'm sorry Dickie." He seemed to smile, looking through me. "I was never the strong one. I was never as good as you." I crawled over, practically on top of him.

"No, don't say that Jason." He was hurt, bad. He wouldn't make it if Bruce didn't show up fast. "You were a better Robin than I was."

I grimaced and curled in, holding my stomach. I could feel the hole inside me, pulsing blood around my arm. I couldn't believe this had happened. It was supposed to have been a routine surveillance mission.

Two Hours Earlier

"Wally is heading around the back and Aqualad is checking out the roof. Batman said that there was a potential drug ring operating from inside a few nights ago, and with the Joker just out of Arkham, it can't have come at a worse time." I crouched down, looking over the building while Jason nodded to the side.

"Do you think he has any part in it?" He shot his grappling gun to the ledge overhang on the roof.

"Probably not." I stood back up and shot mine too. "It doesn't seem like his scene."

He said nothing, only swung down and jumped to the adjacent roof. He was the new Robin. I didn't know how I felt about it yet. I mean, I was ready to move on, I just didn't know that Batman needed to replace me. It kind of hurt. But the kid was alright. He was smart but impulsive and hadn't much regard for his own health. He saw a lot of this as a game. But when the team asked me if they should grab him for the mission, I said it was fine. He seemed like a fine operative.

He'd been Robin for a few years now. Honestly, he had been doing a good job. He made me jealous, like he was competing for my legacy. I tried not to get competitive with him anyway.

"Movement." I put a hand up to stop him from going inside. I turned around and he was gone. That was another thing, he was a lot like how I was at his age. I didn't take orders well from people who weren't Batman. He seemed to think he knew better. A fatal flaw.

Jason! I hissed over the psychic link.

I went to take out the thugs at the back door. KF missed them. He shot back venomously.

I shook my head. He was looking for trouble. Maybe I was just being to judgmental, after all, Batman trusted him, so should I.

Shit! Joke- The link went dead. All communication was down.

Jason! I yelled in vain. I crawled over to the back entrance to see the signs of a struggle.

"Robin is down. Bring up rear. Psychic link is down." I commed to Superboy in the bioship nearby.

"Do you need backup?" He asked.

"Negative. But be on the ready for deployment. Radio KF and and Aqualad on the situation."

"Roger."

I jumped down to the door facing the inside of the warehouse.

Present Time

"I'm sorry I pulled you in." He sputtered blood. My face grew pale when I saw the puddle growing bigger beneath us. I knew most of it was his. He was going to die if someone didn't get here fast. "It's my fault."

"Don't say that Jason." I worked my way on top of him. Well about as close as I could get. I still had a hand on my stomach, holding myself in. I tore off his bloody cape and threw it over his chest, resting my good arm and head on it to apply pressure. I listened for his heartbeat while my head rested on his chest. His pulse was slowing.

"You were always the best." His eyes seemed to glaze over. I dragged my carcass up to his face, watching him wince as I pushed myself up. "You were the best." He repeated.

"Stop it Jason." I pulled his face so that his eyes looked at me. "Focus. Look at me. Breathe in and out. In and out."

"I'm cold." He muttered, his eyelids fluttering.

With much effort, I worked off my armor and shirt over the bullet hole in my stomach. I kept feeling like if I moved my arm from my stomach the all of my guts would fall out. It was a stupid hallucination.

"That's because you're going into shock." He laughed and blood dribbled on his cheek as I draped my shirt on his chest, over his wounds. I could already see the blood seeping through.

"Hey, remember that one time in the cave." He coughed more blood while his face went pale. "When…you hit KF with that pie and started a huge food fight? I was all pissed and then you creamed me in the face with a big glob of M'gann's pudding?"

His voice drifted in and out, I felt tears forming at the corners of my eyes.

"That was you're first day on the team." I smiled down at him.

"Oh yea. Huh." He grinned, eyes glazing over again.

One Hour Earlier

"Guns are not my style, but I assume that your little daddy won't be long to skin my hide so let's get this over with!" The Joker's men came to me, hitting my head with the butt of his gun, sending my communicator flying far into the darkness.

"And you brought friends! I might have to go after them!" He snickered and I could see him eyeing Jason, tied up in a heap on the floor next to me.

"No!" I cried out. This maniac had ruined enough lives; I wouldn't let him kill them. They had no part in this.

"You are so annoying!" He sauntered over to me, swinging his rifle over his shoulder like a soldier. "Batsy even replaced you because you talk too much!"

He pointed the gun at me, inched from my head. I bowed, accepting my fate. Jason shot up as the trigger fired. Then he was rocketed back into me.

"No!" I felt myself screaming as he fell on the floor, holes decorating his Robing costume.

"Aww!" the Joker sadistically laughed, his mouth turning up in a grin, "Let's make the little birdies match!" He pointed it back at me.

Present Time

"Batman always said good stuff about you." He smiled as I hovered over him, "You were incredible. I wanted to be just like you."

"You're going to make it through this Jason, I won't let you die." My hand rested on his face, making his eyes focus on mine. The bright blue was fading. His light was going out. "I promise."

My voice cracked as I slipped on the last word. He smiled at my attempt.

"Dick." His eyes closed and opened again at a much slower pace. My heartbeat slowed. "Don't say that. I wasn't meant to replace you. I get that now."

I felt the warm wetness fall down my cheeks as he spoke. He didn't wince anymore. He didn't feel any more pain.

"No. Please Jason, don't give up." I pleaded.

"I'm not giving up. I'm going on." He smiled again. "If it's not meant to be, maybe I'll come back."

I nodded frantically. His hand floated up to my face, I grabbed it and held onto it. It rested on my cheek. It was so much colder than it should have been.

"Dick. I'll always value being a part of your legacy." His eyelids fluttered. "I loved it. I love Bruce…the family…you…I was…accepted." His words slurred.

I couldn't see anymore, the tears clouded everything.

"No, no, no, no." I muttered, shaking my head, crying.

"Tell Bruce…I'm sorry…I'm a…stupid kid." His smile faltered, slipping from his porcelain face. "I'm…sorry Dick…I'm so…sorry."

I curled up, holding his icy hand to my face. I laid my head on his chest, crying everything out.

"Don't go. Don't go Jason." I held onto his cold, rigid body. "Please, don't go Jason. Don't leave me here. Don't leave me here."

I stayed like that for a long time, until Bruce showed up. Until the team called him. I stayed, curled against his body. He was cold. But I wouldn't let go. I kept talking to him. Reminiscing about all the fun we had with the team, training, with Batman. I told him about how if he woke up I'd hang out with him every day, come visit him with Bruce, I'd make sure he had friends. That he was happy. I'd make sure that he was always having fun, that he was always safe. I'd make sure that nothing like this happened ever again. I'd make sure that he never did anything stupid like patrol with us with the Joker anymore. I'd never let him get hurt or get shot. I'd never let anything bad happen ever again.

I kept telling him to wake up. I kept asking him not to leave. I asked him not to leave me alone. I asked him to just open his eyes and tell me that everything was going to be okay. I asked him not to leave. Not to leave me alone.

But he left a long time before any of that.


	2. Chapter 2

The holidays were coming soon. They had been difficult in the years that had passed since Jason's death. Usually they were spent with the team or alone in Bludhaven. There were never celebrations or presents. I was alone and I did it to myself. Probably as punishment.

More often than not, I would find myself curled up on my couch, staring into the darkness over a warm cup of coffee in the middle of the night. Those nights I was lost. Isolating myself, I gave into the guilt and the depression. I gave into the darkness that had consumed Bruce. In a way, Jason's passing had affected me more than my parent's had.

Those days were the hardest. I would go weeks without seeing the team. I felt much like how Roy had after he discovered he was the mole. I felt that my life had no meaning. I felt that I had failed Jason. I felt that his death was my fault. I knew that I could have- should have done something to save him.

Wally had tried to console me. He really had. His company had actually helped get me out of the house. He got me back with helping the team. They noticed a difference in me, in Batman as well. We were both solitary, dark. We were both trapped in the darkness. But then again, that's how we were born to operate. We weren't like the other heroes. Or at least he wasn't. He was driven by his anger.

Tonight was one of those nights. I hadn't had one in a while. It had been about three years since he died. Honestly, I can remember it like it was yesterday. The way his blood pooled around me, the way that he accepted his death like it was inevitable; it was all engrained in my head. It was traumatic. I knew that I would remember little things like that until I died.

Instead of moping around like I would have wanted to, I got in my uniform and began doing my loops around the streets. Batman had insisted that I stay in Gotham, it was closer to the Hall of Justice. After what happened to Mount Justice I didn't complain. I had rented an apartment downtown, a short walk from Wayne Manor, and moved in a few weeks ago.

The air was crisp tonight. The curve of weather had just turned into November, so the heat had died down. I made my way around the city, apprehending a few thugs, nothing big, when I came to a strange sight.

I jumped into the alley, eskrima sticks drawn. After securing the perimeter, I walked into the scene. It was a strange sight. Obviously not meant for me. Meant for someone with much more power than me.

"Batman." I radioed to him in the cave. "You should see this."

He confirmed and I gave him my coordinates. I bent to check the dead man's temperature, knowing that he would be cold to the touch. Someone who belonged in Arkham had done this. It was the workings of a sick mind.

The man's stomach was slashed in a bloody X. His insides were left to spill out onto the pavement beneath him. It was a gruesome sight, one of the worst that I'd seen. On the wall beside him was a message.

This is the Red Hood's territory.

"I hope you didn't bring Tim with you." I didn't need to look up to know that he was here. "He isn't ready for this yet."

"He is with the team." I nodded, another Robin with the team. Hopefully this one turned out better than the last one. "A friend of yours?"

He stepped forward, motioning to the bloodied scrawl on the wall. I shook my head. I knew who the original was, everyone did. It was the Joker before he turned into the Joker. He took on the alias of the Red Hood, a local gangster.

"Isn't he in Arkham?" I asked him.

"Yes." He pulled out a small device from his belt. "No breakouts."

"So this is someone new." I felt a twinge of déjà vu. The scrawl, or the names, something jogged my memory before I brushed it away into the deep recessed of my mind. I didn't want to remember. Somewhere, deep down, I think I already knew.

"Go to the team Dick." He turned to me. "They need you after what happened to Mount Justice. Leave this to me."

I turned and left. I didn't need to be in the presence of death any more than I had to be. I had seen enough. I didn't want to turn into Bruce, comforted by the death he saw. I made my way home, hoping to shake off the horror of what I'd seen.

The apartment was homely, I'll give it that. It was not ideal, but it was cozy. I was able to sneak in the second floor window without attracting attention, not a lot of people out this early in the morning.

"I didn't expect you to be home so soon." I was surprised at how acutely I could hear him, not at all muffled by the red helmet covering his head.

I crouched down after flying through the window, pulling my eskrima sticks loose. He seemed relaxed, holding a picture of Jason and me on the dresser by the door. It was actually a cute picture. It was right after one of the first few missions we had been on together with the team. M'gann snapped of us when we were sparring. He was helping me up after knocking me down. She caught us mid laugh at some stupid joke. I only wished I could remember it now.

He made no move to pull out the guns resting calmly from his holsters on his hips.

"Red Hood," I stated. "I am surprised you are here, I assumed you were trying to get the attention of Batman with that little stunt."

"Just on my way over there actually." Something about his voice, it was similar. It was very distinct. I stood up, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Wait…Red Hood." The cogs were coming together. The Joker. The Red Hood.

"Come now Dickie-bird. There is no need to stand on celebration here." He set the picture down and raised his hands up to pull off the red helmet.

As it dropped to the floor my worst fears were confirmed. He was taller, older. He had a bright white stripe of hair in front that he didn't have before, but it was him. His bright blue eyes blazed out at me, brighter than the moment when he died. There was a vengeance, an anger that pierced through my body.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be." He snickered before pulling out the gun from its holster and putting it to my head the way the Joker had done. I vaguely remembered him muttering those words before dying those years ago. How ironic.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason and I had never been close. Sure, we had been brothers. Thrown together in by the ties of war. We had trained, bonded. We had grown close, but not close to the point of me really knowing who he was when he died. We never talked about our lives. We never talked about Batman or about the way he had filled my shoes in a way that I never had. He had taken my place and became a better me. We never talked about that. We had a brotherly tie on missions. I felt like I knew what he was going through, even though we never spoke of it.

When I held him, dying in my arms, I never imagined that he would give up. I never admitted to myself that he would just let himself fade out, admitting defeat to myself and him. He was too stubborn of a kid. And I never imagined that he would come back, especially like this.

"Tell me Dick." He looked deep into my eyes, cocking his head gleefully to one side, taking joy in my shock. "What is it like, seeing me again?"

"Jason…I…" I made no move to him, but I saw a flutter in his eyes, the light flickering. Something was wrong inside him. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

He laughed, the light was back again, full force behind his bright icy eyes. Then the laugh was gone, all I could see was rage.

"The Joker is still alive." He said, betraying no emotion, "He is still alive. You never went after him, made him pay…for taking me from you."

I heard a crack in his voice, a crack in his composure, the boy I knew cried inside. He was there, somewhere inside.

"I couldn't" I tried to say. He knocked me to the floor with the barrel of his gun. I felt the blood fill my cheek as I spit it to the floor of the apartment.

"Yes you could." He knelt down to me, pulling my chin back up with the cool metal. "All these years…"

He was not himself. I could see the pain and the fear coursing behind his eyes. He let the rage out, it was all he knew how to express. I wanted to hold him, let him cry on my shoulder and never let him go again. He was angry, at me, at Batman, at everyone.

"Tell me what happened..." I whispered, hoping to convey sincerity to him.

"You forgot." He slumped, gun slack. "You left me in that damned box to rot."

"Jason…" I could feel myself loosing every bit of sanity I had left. "I never forgot about you. You're my brother."

"I died!" He yelled, anger found within the shredded pieces of his emotions. "You went on Dick! You didn't do shit about it!"

"What was I supposed to do?!" I yelled back, tears falling down my face. I loved him; he must have been able to see that. He must be able to sort through the madness working its way inside his head to be able to see that I loved him.

"Kill the Joker!" He yelled back at me, eyes blazing.

"What would that have solved?" I sat up, cross-legged, holding my injured cheek. "That I am no better a killer than him?"

"Dick…" He pushed himself back against the far wall, wincing as his back hit it. "He killed me. You got over it."

"How can you say that?"

"Because somehow there is already a new Robin on the team."

"That was not my decision."

"Mhmm."

"You weren't there." I closed my eyes. "Those nights, remembering your death. Jason, there isn't a single night that it doesn't go through my mind."

He didn't say anything. His head slumped forward, reliving his death. His arms wrapped around his chest, over the bullet scars that I knew he must stare at every morning.

"The Light brought me back." He finally said.

"What?" My eyes narrowed. Of course the Light had a part in this. They would have any part to bring it all crashing down on our heads.

"They made a deal with me." He looked up, narrowing his eyes at me. "Said that I could get my life back."

"For what Jason?" I looked around. "To betray us? To betray me?"

He shook his head, wincing again as he straightened up. He looked deep into my eyes again.

"For you." He paused. "They know that you are the leader. They think if you are gone then the group will dissipate."

"Stupid." I finally said after letting the new information soak in.

"I know. But I didn't argue it, so here I am." He looked back into me. Really, into my soul. The way he always did when he were kids.

"They sent you to kill me." It was more of a statement really, than a question. It didn't surprise me, he was obviously unstable. He had the components for a perfect killer. "Then the man in the ally was…a warning?"

He nodded, closing his eyes. Gruesome, but a good warning nonetheless. I was just too stupid to figure it out.

"Are you still going to kill me?" I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around him and looked at him form. It was insane, he was here, alive. I still didn't believe it. He didn't answer for a few minutes.

"I remember one night when I couldn't sleep and I drove all the way out to the mountain. Bruce was being mean anyway." He explained. "And I maybe got in at like three in the morning and there you were in front of the monitors all exhausted. And when you saw me, your face just lit up. You dropped everything and took me in and made me coffee and we talked. We ended up sitting outside on the beach and watching the sun rise. It was actually really fun. I won't ever forget it Dick."

I looked up to see him look away from my gaze. A shimmering clear tear fell from him eyes and he was instantly that little boy again, hiding from his dad with his older brother, watching the sun rise on the beach.

"You and Bruce were my only real family." He looked back to me. "I loved you. I thought you would always be there, always protect me, and never let anything happen to me. But I was wrong. I get back, and I'm replaced, forgotten, thrown away. I guess that's all I ever meant to you. I guess all of those memories were lies. They must be, since my brain is making up so many other things these days."

He hit the side of his head with the palm of his hand with a laugh. I saw more tears fall down his cheeks. It was heartbreaking. He was falling apart right before my eyes.

"Jason- I'm sorry. If I could go back to-"

"Don't even say it." He put his hand up to cut me off. "It doesn't matter now."

We didn't say anything for another few minutes. We didn't need to. His tears fell freely and so did mine. I thought of the pain he must have been feeling and the anguish.

"Just so you know." I looked up, wiping a tear away. "That was one of the best nights."

He smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

It had happened once before in the cave. I had crashed there, after a mission with Jason. We had separate rooms but somehow I awoke in the middle of the night with the steady patter of his footsteps on the hardwood floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" I turned rather violently, surprised at the sudden movement in the room. His voice was distinctive, I recognized it even in the darkness of the room.

"Yea, it's okay." I relaxed once I saw that it was only him, not some horrible villain come to kill or maim me. "What are you doing up?"

I checked the wall clock, it was three o' clock. I untangled the sheets from my body. He just stood there, in his t-shirt and boxers, looking like a little kid. He looked scared. It must have been the nightmares, the token that comes with the job.

He said nothing, I didn't need him to. I simply gestured to the open space beside me. He looked hesitantly at me before crawling in the bed with me. I knew Bruce never showed this kind of affection, so these kinds of things would be rare for him. Any affectionate contact would be rare. His cold back touched my stomach and I held him close as he shivered. He didn't need to say a word. I knew that he was frightened. He was young, it was expected.

We fell asleep like that, me holding him. When I awoke the next morning he was gone and we never spoke about it ever again. I felt he was embarrassed, having come to his big brother because he was scared. He shouldn't have been, it was nothing to be ashamed of. He was my brother; he should have known I would have always been there.

Well I awoke in my apartment at three in much that same way. Jason and I had dozed off, sitting on the floor, gun lay astray. Sometime in the night, he had curled on the floor, shivering. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I knew that if I wanted to get out, or warn the others, now was the time. Somehow I sat, transfixed by his sleeping form. He looked so innocent, so childlike. I couldn't leave him, not again.

I got up soundlessly and grabbed a blanket from the couch, draping it over his sleeping form. He twitched and his eyes moved behind their lids. He was having a nightmare. Somehow he was just a child again, sneaking into my room.

I sat down next to him, cradling his head in my lap. He didn't wake up, which was odd, considering the Bat-family's constant alertness. Eventually he began moving more. He began thrashing and moaning. I rested my hand on his forehead and he immediately opened his eyes.

"What are you doing?" He looked up at me, his body still rigid.

"You were having a nightmare." I looked down into his bright blue eyes. "You were thrashing."

"Oh." He made no move, only staying there, looking up into my eyes.

"Jason." I began. "I'm sorry. I should have done something. I should have gone after the Joker, and I should have talked to Bruce before he brought Tim into all of this. I'm sorry. It was wrong of me. But you know, I love you, and I never forgot you. I never forgot you."

He turned his face from mine as a tear fell. He curled his body up to mine, head still in my lap. I could feel him bury his face in my abdomen as I continued.

"Every night, I saw what happened to you. I saw how I couldn't protect you, how you died for me, taking those bullets for me. Jason, you were the perfect brother and I am sorry about all of this that is happening." I gestured to the empty room around me. "I am sorry that you died, terribly. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that Bruce replaced you. I'm sorry that you feel I forgot you. I'm sorry that I didn't avenge you. But mostly…" I looked down at him. "I'm sorry for not being the brother that I promised that I would be to you."

"Dick…I know…" He looked up at me, holding back tears. "I never meant…that…I mean…I know you never…" He gave up and put his head back down and I stroked my fingered through my hair tenderly.

"And if you need to kill me." I whispered to him. "Then go ahead, because I deserve it. But Jason, I just want you to know, no, I want you to believe that I love you and I never meant for…any of this to happen."

I smiled down at him while he hiccupped. I knew he wasn't going to kill me. Not after I'd gotten through to him. But even if he did, it would be the best way to die. Really, I would rather die by his hand than any of the other maniacs out there.

"I can't kill you." He looked up. "I thought I could. I really thought that I could. I thought I could get past all this emotion by just pushing the anger."

"I know Jason." I laid my hand on his warm cheek. "I could see it in your eyes. But I knew there was something past the anger, the hurt."

We didn't say anything after that. For a long while we laid like that, his head in my lap while I ran my fingers through his hair. I didn't know what would happen now, now that he was not going to kill me. Would he rejoin the team? Would Batman try to throw him in jail for that man he killed? Would he go his own way? I had no answers. All I knew was that I didn't want him to leave my sights. I didn't want to lose him again. He was my brother; it was my job to protect him.

"Jason…" I finally spoke. "What do we do now?"

He looked up at me hesitantly before working himself up into a sitting position next to me. He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve and looked ahead, blue eyes blazing.

"I need to leave." In my heart I knew he was right but I couldn't help my head from shaking. I didn't want him to go so soon, not after one night. I had just got him back.

"Where?" I looked at him as he ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"Do you have any renegade friends?" He chuckled, looking at me jokingly.

"Actually…" I thought to myself. It might work. It just might.

"Really?" He laughed now, eyes set forward again. A billow of morning air swept through, sending a cold breeze through the room.

"Yea. Roy Harper." His eyes registered. "The clone. He goes by Arsenal."

After a few directions and ideas for where to find Roy, I found Jason and myself standing in the kitchen all ready to go. He had his shiny red helmet sitting by the door, hopefully a good omen.

He took a last sip of the tea I brewed and smiled at me. I smiled back. I still couldn't believe that Jason Todd, of all people, was drinking tea with me, not surprisingly, he didn't put any sugar in it unlike me. His gaze lowered and his body turned toward the door, ready to leave.

"Jason...wait." He looked back at me, pain still radiating across his face. He didn't want to leave, but he had to. "Thanks, for not killing me."

He shrugged.

"And I'm sorry." I repeated.

"I'm sorry too." He looked back up, half smile on his face. "But hey, we'll see each other soon okay Dickie bird?"

I smiled at the nickname. Of course he would call me that.

"Sure Jaybird." I leaned forward and gave him a quick hug before he grabbed the helmet and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway of the apartment building. "Go be an outlaw with Roy Harper."

He smiled and gave me a small salute before pulling the hood down over his head and walking out. I was sure I'd see him soon. He made it all the way back from the grave after all.


End file.
